The Architecture of Childhood: Adult Children of Alcoholics

Most people assume the Children of Alcoholics movement is about preventing inherited addiction. They're wrong. This episode explores what the movement actually addresses: the developmental trauma of growing up in an unpredictable, shame-bound family system. We break down the neurobiology of hypervigilance — how chronic unpredictability rewires the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and HPA axis — and examine Dr. Claudia Black's foundational work on the three unspoken rules of alcoholic families: Don't Talk, Don't Trust, Don't Feel. Plus, a walkthrough of the "laundry list" of common characteristics of adult children of alcoholics, and why these survival strategies persist long after the alcoholic parent is gone. Episode #351254 — open it directly at myweirdprompts.com/351254